Abstract
Color vision is widespread among insects but varies among species, depending on the spectral sensitivities and interplay of the participating photoreceptors. The spectral sensitivity of a photoreceptor is principally determined by the absorption spectrum of the expressed visual pigment, but it can be modified by various optical and electrophysiological factors. For example, screening and filtering pigments, rhabdom waveguide properties, retinal structure, and neural processing all influence the perceived color signal. We review the diversity in compound eye structure, visual pigments, photoreceptor physiology, and visual ecology of insects. Based on an overview of the current information about the spectral sensitivities of insect photoreceptors, covering 221 species in 13 insect orders, we discuss the evolution of color vision and highlight present knowledge gaps and promising future research directions in the field.
Highlights
Color vision, the ability of an animal to use the spectral composition of light independent of intensity as a cue for decision making, is widespread among animals (e.g., 66)
We summarize what is known about the diversity among insects regarding photoreceptor sensitivity, visual pigments, compound eye structure, behavior, and ecology, and we discuss some of the present knowledge gaps and research directions in the field
The spectral sensitivity of a photoreceptor is defined as the fraction of incident light that is absorbed by the photoreceptor’s visual pigment and subsequently causes an electrical signal
Summary
The ability of an animal to use the spectral composition of light independent of intensity as a cue for decision making, is widespread among animals (e.g., 66). Color vision is based on neuronal interactions that compare the outputs of at least two, but often more, spectral types of photoreceptors. Three types of eyes occur: (a) stemmata in larvae of holometabolous groups, (b) ocelli, and (c) compound eyes in the imagoes of holo- and hemimetabolous insects. We summarize what is known about the diversity among insects regarding photoreceptor sensitivity, visual pigments, compound eye structure, behavior, and ecology, and we discuss some of the present knowledge gaps and research directions in the field. We first present an overview of the common principles involved in insect color vision, followed by a broader discussion on behavioral aspects and evolution. We further add a list of spectral sensitivity information covering all currently studied species (see Table 1)
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